Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Today’s Workplace

Abstract

Hard skills are the technical expertise and knowledge needed for a job. Soft skills are interpersonal qualities, also known as people skills, and personal attributes that one possesses. Business executives consider soft skills a very important attribute in job applicants. Employers want new employees to have strong soft skills, as well as hard skills. This study identified the top 10 soft skills as perceived the most important by business executives: integrity, communication, courtesy, responsibility, social skills, positive attitude, professionalism, flexibility, teamwork, and work ethic.

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“…The call for soft skills in leaders is a global one, which has been proven in studies such as the one from Hind, Wilson and Lenssen (2009), who surveyed workforce members of 11 large European Multinational Corporations and found that these employees considered soft skills imperative to good leadership. Robles (2012) underscored these findings with the results from a study among 57 business executives, who also agreed that integrity and communication were some of the most critical soft skills needed in today's workplaces. As business leaders become more aware of the need to combine hard and soft skills in their approaches, we are gradually entering a stage where Buddhist psychology could find broad reception in contemporary workforces.…”

“…The manifestation of the above and many other corporate downfalls served as an epiphanal shift in employees' paradigms. Additionally, the transformation from an industrial economy to an information society has shifted the collective behavioral emphasis to integrity, communication, and flexibility (Robles, 2012). The phenomenon "wealth" has been gradually changing from amassing material or monetary assets to appreciating knowledge and insight: mind over matter (Gilder, 1990).…”

Joining Efforts of Employers and Educational Institutions to Develop Competent Graduates

“…Similar conclusions regarding entry-level soft skills were reached by the International Youth Foundation (2013), which conducted research among employers in the service industry and pointed to the following soft skills: communication skills (listening, verbal, and written), planning and organizational skills, teamwork, interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem solving, investigation and research skills, creative thinking, decision-making skills, multicultural sensitivity and awareness, professionalism (includes grooming and self-respect), honesty and integrity, positive attitude, motivation and ability to learn, dependability and responsibility, adaptability and flexibility, ability to take constructive feedback, hard work, and ethics. Robles (2012) Looking more into the future, Adecco and Zukunftsinstitute (2010) emphasized the need for creativity and innovation as the main characteristics of the workplace of the future. Farčnik et al (2015) forecasted competencies needed in Slovenian enterprises among the aforementioned soft skills add digital skills due to technological changes and business trends.…”

“…The latter are especially important for entry-level managers (Weber et al, 2009). Robles (2012) emphasized another element of soft skills, i.e., personal qualities and career attributes, such as professionalism and integrity. The importance of soft skills has grown over time, and they are considered an important factor enhancing employability in a knowledge-based society (Brown et al, 2003;Rao, 2014).…”

Reinforcing Communication Skills Through Participation in a Team-based Weekly Innovation Challenge

“…Communication has been identified by business executives as one of the top skills needed by professionals in the current workplace 1 . Professionals with good oral and written skills, as well as presentation and listening proficiency are more likely to be hired and lead successful careers.…”